| Status code | 103 |
|---|---|
| Status text | Early Hints |
| Category | 1xx Informational |
| Response has body | No |
| Specification | RFC 8297 |
What does 103 Early Hints mean?
The server is sending preliminary headers, typically Link headers for preloading, before the final response. It belongs to the 1xx Informational class, which means the request was received and the process is continuing. These are interim responses you rarely handle directly.
When do APIs return 103?
Performance optimisation so browsers can start fetching critical assets before the HTML is ready.
How to fix a 103 Early Hints
Not an error. Only relevant to browser page loads, not to JSON APIs.
Reproduce a 103 response
The fastest way to understand a status code is to trigger one and read the full response. Open the
API tester and send a request to https://httpbin.org/status/103 — you will
see the 103 status along with every response header the server sent. Comparing those headers against
a working request is often what reveals the cause.
When you are debugging a real endpoint, check the response headers as carefully as the body, and confirm you are using the right HTTP method for the operation.
Related 1xx status codes
100 Continue
The server received the request headers and the client should proceed to send the request body.
101 Switching Protocols
The server is switching to a different protocol as requested by the client's Upgrade header.
102 Processing
The server has accepted the request but has not yet completed it.